That Long Awaited Day
by RobotFish
Summary: "Okay, so we lied. It wasn't actually a lie, more like a really bad prediction of the future." With goodbye only a hair's breadth away, will Yusei and Akiza find the strength to confess their feelings? Spoilers for 154


Hey guys, RobotFish here with a oneshot!

After watching the last episode of Yugioh 5d's, this idea popped into my head, and it's not going away until I write it. I was happy that Yusei and Akiza were finally presented as a couple, but the fact that they didn't get to confess left me a little disappointed. And before anyone asks, yes I believe that there was a kiss. It was just implied to make things appropriate for everyone.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh 5d's. If I did, then this is how it would have ended.

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><p>Okay, so we lied...<p>

It wasn't actually a lie, more like a really bad prediction of the future. That's right, what you saw wasn't really what happened. Well, some of it was, but saying goodbye was only half of the story. The beginning, to be precise. Our farewell only made us realize what we were ignorant of before, and from then on, we all vowed to live without regret.

So why the deception and false flash-forwards, you ask? Why so secretive about the truth? Because...and this will sound strange...it seemed fitting. After our unity was at its fullest, drawn together by forces greater than ourselves, we thought we were finally free. Free of the chains that had once bound us, free from prejudice, powers, enemies, Armageddon, free from everything. We thought that after the war (and make no mistake, we fought one), our lives were finally our own again, ours to go forth and see and do all we had ever dreamed. And we had been in New Domino for all of our lives. It only seemed fitting that we would leave, and everyone expected it as well.

So we left out the whole story. Told everyone what we thought they wanted to hear. We know, we know, it was wrong to lie about the future, but we had to give everyone a happy ending. At least, as happy an ending that could possibly exist if we had actually gone our separate ways.

Which begs the question; why didn't we do it? Why couldn't we let go and embrace what we had planned? The answer is exceedingly simple-

WE ARE ONE

Not just the two of us, although we are bound by love as well. All of us, our family, friends, we came together as one, fought as one, died as one, suffered, triumphed, laughed, cried, _lived_ as one. We are inseparable, not only by the bonds laid in Crimson writ, but by the timeless intertwining of our fates through our friendship. We are united by everything, and nothing can divide us.

Besides, did you really believe the two of us would go through all of that and not confess our feelings?

So, to set the record straight, here's what really happened.

* * *

><p>"Akiza?" Yusei said as he stepped into the dark garage.<p>

"Leave the lights off," she replied. He hesitated before shutting the door and slowly walking over to her. She turned and faced him after a moment, but Yusei didn't feel the peace and joy he normally felt when he was with her. And he knew exactly why.

She was leaving.

Going to study abroad, to live her life as it should have been. Without him. He knew it was selfish to feel this way, he should feel happy for his closest friend. But he just couldn't come to terms with the fact that he might not ever see her again. He...he needed her. Ever since she joined the Signers, he had felt this way, always knowing it but never saying anything. Their friendship was too precious for him to sacrifice for the hope of them being something more, but now it was over either way.

So he wanted to tell her how he felt. But he couldn't. He couldn't because it would make things even more painful. And he was hurting enough already. So was she from the look in her eyes.

"I..." she began. "I wanted to see you alone."

He paused at her tone. Her voice was different, like something had been awakened inside of her that Yusei had never seen before. Something that he had been feeling as well. He knew the painful sensation all too well, the love that could never be.

"What's wrong, Akiza?" he asked.

She looked into his eyes. Nothing was going as planned. She thought that this would give her some sense of closure, but it was only tearing her apart even more. God, she loved him. And now when they could finally be together, she was leaving.

"I came to give you a proper goodbye," she said.

But that wasn't the truth. All of the carefully planned phrases and lines she had planned fled from her mind as she stared into his beautiful cobalt eyes. She had come here because she knew...knew that she would regret it forever if she didn't say it. Those words that she had desperately clung to all those months and never found time to say until it was too late. Now, it was goodbye, and she would never know what her love could become.

And it hurt really badly.

"Y-Yusei..." she stuttered, desperately trying to hold herself together. "I...I lov-"

She stopped. No, she couldn't do this to him, not when she was about to leave. He had endured enough pain for her already, why should she break his heart anymore? He was hurting, she knew this. All of his friends were leaving, including her. And she hated herself for it.

"Akiza..." Yusei whispered.

_Don't look. Don't look into his eyes._

But she did. And she saw it. All the love and affection he held for her, all the emotions he had bottled up inside, everything she had felt and suppressed, right there in the man she would give anything for. It was too much. After all they had been through it was too much. She took a deep breath, about to talk her way out of this, spin her words so he would never know what she almost said, all the while trying to pull herself back from the brink of breaking down and crying.

"I...love that I met you."

The light in Yusei's eyes slightly faded after her words. He felt dead inside, like a part of himself was being torn away from him, leaving him with an aching hollowness inside his chest. And he was an idiot for thinking they could ever be more. No matter how badly he wanted it.

He gave a pained smile. "So do I, Akiza."

He tried to conceal his true feelings, but she must have seen right through him. Her eyes watered and her arms unconsciously moved up to hug herself, trying to achieve some measure of comfort in the wake of saying goodbye.

Yusei saw her pain, and before he could think twice, pulled Akiza into a warm hug. She rested her head on his chest, silently begging her tears not to come as she breathed in the man she loved, the one she was about to leave. He held her tightly, unwilling to let go for anything, unwilling to part knowing what could have been.

"I hate it that you have to leave," he found himself saying.

She looked up at him in surprise, her eyes wet. She wanted to stay, heaven knows she wanted to stay here with Yusei, but she had to move on. After all, wasn't it time she lived her own life?

"I..." she struggled to find the right words. "I do too, but...it's not goodbye forever, Yusei."

He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. "Then why does it hurt so badly?"

They stayed like this for a moment, while Akiza again fought back tears. It hurt so badly because this would mean the end of her and Yusei ever becoming something more than friends, ever being able to love each other. Even if she came back all those years later, there was no guarantee that things could be the same between them. Even if they were reunited...would too much have changed for them to be in love again?

Her grip on his shirt tightened as she began to tremble, and Yusei took her hands gently. "Akiza...please don't cry. I don't want our last time together to be sad. No one has a better smile than you do."

She gave a slight grin at these words. "Well...you're the only one who put that smile on my face, Yusei."

And if she left? Who would make her smile then? She stared deeply into his eyes, their faces moving closer with each passing second. Oh God, this was a bad idea. This would make things impossible to get over, but there was no stopping this. It had been too long awaited for them to leave it undone. He leaned forward just a little farther and placed his lips on hers.

Warmth immediately coursed through her body at the contact. This felt so good, so right. How could anything besides this even seem like the right path for her? Her hands ran through his hair as her eyes closed, her body melting into his, embracing him as she had always wanted to, feeling what she had never admitted. No...she would never feel this way about anyone else. It was Yusei, it always had been, that held the key to her heart.

They reluctantly parted after a while. She was about to go back on her plans, about to throw everything away to make this last, but Yusei knew her too well. He couldn't let her sacrifice her future for him, he wasn't worth it. So he said the most painful words that would ever leave his mouth.

"Goodbye, Akiza. I...I hope you have a great life."

The sting was venomous and aching. "You too, Yusei..."

And with that, she ran out of the room, ran for what seemed like forever before her legs gave out from exhaustion. Her lungs burning and her heart breaking, Akiza fell down in an alleyway and began to violently weep in her newfound knowledge...

She had missed her chance with Yusei.

* * *

><p>She stood at the train station, her suitcase in hand as she waited for the tram that would take her away.<p>

Akiza had spent most of the night crying into her pillow. Her parents heard and asked her what was wrong, but she said that it was nothing. Just nostalgia over her friends, but they saw though it. Her father had taken her hand in his and simply asked, 'Is it Yusei?' When she didn't respond and began to cry again, he and her mother silently held Akiza as her tears fell.

She absent-mindedly stared at her ticket as the whistle began to sound. Why did her parents encourage her to see Yusei? Did they know what she felt for him, know that she loved him and that she would regret leaving? If that was true, then their suggestion last night was their way of giving her one more chance to admit to Yusei her feelings and to call off her departure. But she had blown it, hadn't been able to see things clearly in time.

She had woken up knowing that this was a mistake. But Yusei...after last night, there was no way he would still love her. The look in his eyes when she couldn't confess was enough to make Akiza want to tear her hair out in agony. This hurt, this hurt so badly, and now she just wanted it to end. Wanted to take the shears of separation and cut away everything that was making her feel this way. But this feeling would never fade. And she could never forget.

Her train pulled up to the station, and the conductor opened the doors. People began to pour onto the train, and Akiza weakly picked up her luggage and stepped forward. As she stood in front of the steps, she took one last look back at what she was leaving behind...

And she saw him.

Her eyes widened in shock. Yusei was standing in the middle of the station, looking around frantically and calling out her name, which could barely be heard above the roar of the crowd. Akiza froze, one foot on the train, one foot still in New Domino Station, not believing what she was seeing, because it was impossible.

He had come back for her.

His head was rapidly turning, desperately searching for something, someone, and she knew he was looking for her. From this distance, Akiza could see that Yusei hadn't slept much, if at all, and he must have been going through the same reflections and grief she was. She wanted to run to him, to fling herself into his arms and never let go, to tell him all of the things she had kept hidden, to scream at the top of her lungs that she loved him, but something stopped her.

The train blew it whistle again, and Akiza knew she had a matter of seconds to decide her future. Leaving now would break something, something that couldn't be easily repaired, if ever. But staying would be taking a leap of faith that she didn't know if she was capable of. Yusei was all that she wanted, but would she ever be good enough for him? Leaving would give him freedom, a life that he would never know otherwise, but if he felt this way too, then she knew it wouldn't matter to him if she wasn't there. Her feelings were fighting a battle inside of her, tearing her apart until one side finally won out.

And she took the step that would change her life forever.

* * *

><p>If there was a hell on earth, then this was Yusei's. Because nothing could be worse than eternally searching for Akiza but never finding her.<p>

After being away from Akiza for just one night, Yusei finally realized just how badly he needed her, realized that the hole in his chest would never go away if she left. She was the only one that made him feel complete, and there was no way he was going to let that go. Not without trying, not without a fight.

So he had sped over to her house, hoping that she was not gone yet, praying that there was still time to fix what would be the biggest mistake of his life. Letting her go would break him, because...well that was just it. He couldn't let her go, no matter how hard he tried. Because they were one, because he loved her more than anything, and he knew she felt the same way.

Her parents had answered the door, and from the saddened look in their eyes, Yusei knew what he had been dreading was true. His heart sank in his chest, and his eyes began to sting with bitter tears.

"She's at the train station," her father said with a hint of longing. "You can catch her if you hurry!"

Yusei didn't pause to ask why the man was helping him, if her father knew they belonged together. He didn't care about anything right now except for finding Akiza, telling her how he felt and begging her not to leave. He didn't care what kind of a life she would have if she left, he knew he could make her happier than anyone else. He knew that this, the farewells, the separate ways, that this couldn't possibly be the right thing to do.

So why couldn't they just wait until later? Because there might not be a later. Because this, the present, the right now, was all they had, all the time were guaranteed. The future is uncertain, and Yusei wasn't going to wait any longer. He had done enough waiting for a lifetime.

The five minute race to the train station seemed like an eternity. When he arrived, he jumped off of his runner and sprinted into the station, heading straight for Akiza's platform. He desperately looked, shouted her name as loudly as he could, but there was no sign of her. The train was already blowing its whistle, about to depart, and Yusei was losing a piece of himself with each passing second. He couldn't let them down, he couldn't fail, not after everything they had endured. He was still searching when the doors closed and the conductor began the departure.

And the train pulled away from the station.

Yusei watched as it moved, taking his life with it, taking any hope of him ever being happy again to some distant land that Yusei could never journey to. No...no this couldn't be happening.

But it was. And Yusei felt so much regret that he wanted to die. With a heavy heart and a broken soul, Yusei slowly sank down onto a bench, oblivious to everything except the crushing pain inside his heart. It wasn't supposed to be this way! They were supposed to be together, they were supposed to love each other forever! But they had parted instead, afraid to live, afraid to feel what was now unattainable.

Yusei's hand gripped his chest as tears began to escape from his eyes. Would this ever go away? Would this ever stop hurting? No...it would always stay with him, always haunt him, plague him until he died. That night, she had come do to what he was afraid of. And he had shot her down, destroyed any chance of them ever being together, and he hated himself for it. There was nothing for him now, nothing to live for, nothing to die for. No purpose, no saving, no reason to exist.

And he felt that irreparable something inside of himself beginning to crack.

It was almost not worth going on. Anything to ease this pain, anything to stop the suffering. Please God, make this end, make it stop! Yusei buried his face in his hands, trying to shut out the world, his heart breaking into a million pieces, never to be-

"You came for me..."

His head shot up at the sound of her voice. There she stood, in front of him in all her angelic perfection with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. He quickly stood up, afraid that she wasn't real, afraid that this was just a dream. His eyes gazed deep into hers, searching for what he needed to be complete, to be whole again. No, silence wouldn't fix this. He needed to hear it, but he couldn't speak. His voice caught in his burning throat.

"A-Akiza..."

She pressed her lips against his, and he was star struck from the contact. He eagerly responded, pulling her close to him, moving his lips against hers with a passion and a fervor he had never experienced before. He moaned into her mouth, taking refuge in her, feeling the pain immediately flee and be replaced by an overwhelming warmth that he never wanted to end. This was where home was for him. With her, in the love they shared, and he would never leave, never trade this for anything.

Her kissing became even more intense, her need for him overpowering any form of restraint that still existed between them. There was no better feeling, nothing else that she wanted, nothing else that could make her happy besides this. He had come back for her, and that had given her the strength to come back for him. No more regret, no more sorrow, no more holding back. You only got one chance to live, and they weren't going to waste theirs any longer.

They parted from lack of air, and Yusei gazed deep into her eyes as her voice sounded more beautifully than music to his ears.

"What can I say, Yusei? I couldn't leave you if I tried."

He smiled, tears of joy streaming down their faces. "Akiza, I love you. Please don't go, I love you so much..."

She hugged him tightly to her, never wanting to be apart. "I love you too Yusei, more than anything. I'll never leave you, I promise."

And they sat there, not caring about who saw, not caring about what they were leaving behind for this, not caring about anything except for their love for one another. They would never let go again.

* * *

><p>It's funny, isn't it? How none of us could go through with it.<p>

Jack had taken even less time than we did to come back. In less than an hour he had turned his runner around scooped up Carly in his arms, saying he loved her and would never leave. He told us that no title of King could replace the sense of belonging he felt, the unity in the bond we shared. He was still himself, an arrogant jerk, but a loyal one who put his friends before himself when it counted.

Three days after our reunion and confession, Crow came back as well. We found him at Martha's, holding all the orphans in his arms, tears flying everywhere. We knew he would come back. He loved those kids too much to leave.

When Leo and Luna knew that we were all back, they opened their house to everyone. Not just opened, demanded that we all stay there for a while to make sure that we didn't get any more crazy ideas of leaving.

As for us...our love was finally realized, and since then, the days we have spent together have been the happiest of our lives. We don't know what the future will hold, nor the trials we will face. We don't know how long we have to live, we aren't even promised that tomorrow will come. All we know is that through everything, through thick and thin, through good and bad, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, through sickness and in health, and until death and beyond until the end of forever...

We will always love each other.

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><p>So, like it? Hate it? Please review and let me know.<p>

I love happy endings, and the prospect of Akiza leaving Yusei to become a doctor seemed like a crappy way to end a series.

Now, I am toying with the idea of continuing this idea in another story, but I'm not sure if I want to write two stories simultaneously. Please leave a review or pm and let me know if you would like me to write this story or focus on Our Little Secret.

Thanks for reading, see you later! And yes, I was insinuating that they were married at the end.


End file.
